


wildfire burning in your angel eyes

by ikuzonos



Category: Dangan Ronpa, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Gen, Homelessness, Minor Character Death, NDRV3 Spoilers, Pre-Canon, Trans Female Character, Trans Harukawa Maki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2019-01-30 03:29:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12645225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ikuzonos/pseuds/ikuzonos
Summary: [Major Endgame NDRV3 Spoilers]The person, a small girl, raised her head to reveal a weak pair of red eyes, “W-Who are you? Are… are you… God?”“No,” he answered, brushing hair out of his eyes, “If I could, I’d sprout wings and take us to heaven, but that’s not happening anytime soon.”-Maki survives but does not live.





	wildfire burning in your angel eyes

There was a hole in the left pocket of the polyester rain jacket. 

As she shuffled down the streets, trying not to walk too quickly, the icy November wind nipped at her exposed skin, turning her fingers red. Some of the strangers that she passed turned up their noses as they got close, or gave her nasty looks. It was her own fault, though. The jacket was a product of two hours of dumpster diving.

The alleyway was just ahead. She glanced over her shoulder to ensure nobody was watching her, then ducked to the left, slipping between the brick buildings.

Somebody was already there, leaning against the wall with a casual grin. She let out a sigh of relief and pulled her hood down, “Azumi. Good to see you made it.”

“Ew,” Azumi responded, wrinkling her nose, “You reek.”

She rolled her eyes, “I would imagine. I pulled this shit out of a Denny’s dumpster.”

Azumi stuck out her tongue, “Gross! Hmph, and after you got all scrubbed up at the last shelter.”

“Your hair looks like a rat’s nest,” she replied testily, “Didn’t I get you a comb?”

“Broke it trying to open a can,” Azumi said.

She closed her eyes, “Idiot. Whatever, I’ll throw you in the river.”

Azumi gasped, “You wouldn’t! Shinji, I thought-”

“Can you not call me that anymore?” she interrupted, her voice catching, “I… It feels bad.”

Azumi ran a hand through her hair, tugging on the knots, “Eh? Sure thing. You got another name that you want, or should I just call you Big Stinky?”

“I’ll wash the jacket!” she protested, “And not yet. I’m still trying to put it all together. But… I’m most likely… a girl.”

That was a lie, a small one. She did have a new name, just not one she was comfortable saying out loud yet. She had repeated it over and over in her head while trying to sleep on roach infested mattresses, hoping that it would fit her.  _ Maki. _

“Guess that means you’re Big Stinky for the time being,” Azumi giggled, “Hope I don’t lose you in a crowd! Wouldn’t that be so embarrassing for poor Big Stinky-chan?”

“I’m definitely throwing you in the river now.”

Azumi dashed down towards the far end of the alley, “Catch me if you can!”

She - Maki? - ran after her, trying not to roll her eyes.

-

“Hrgblft!” Azumi spluttered, water spilling from her mouth, “You’re such a meanie! You could have killed me!”

Maki ran her hand through Azumi’s stark white hair, “Don’t be ridiculous. I’d never let anything happen to you. But you really needed to wash your hair.”

Azumi pouted, “They wouldn’t let me use the shower at the shelter. It was ‘too late at night’ and I would be ‘disturbing people.’ Hmph!”

Maki sighed, “Disturb who, the cockroaches? I’m sorry, I’ll try to find us a better shelter next time.”

“You always say that,” Azumi said, “And then the next one is always worst than the last! Why don’t you ever let me pick out places for us to stay?”

Maki replied, “Because you consistently make bad decisions. Look, it’s just a patch of bad luck. Things’ll pick up, they always do.”

Azumi crossed her arms, “You always say that too.”

“Wash your hair.”

Maki scooted away from her, picking up a stray stick from the mushy dirt. She could hear Azumi splashing behind her, and she lowered her gaze to the ground.

With the stick, she carefully drew the small lines, the few that she remembered from the kanji book in the public library. They were messy, and probably incorrect, but it had to be enough for the moment. She hadn’t seen actual paper in weeks.

“Whatcha doing?” Azumi asked, peering over her shoulder, “‘Demon… princess?’ I don’t get it.”

Maki squished it with her foot, “It’s nothing. I couldn’t remember any other kanji for the name, is all. Don’t worry about it.”

Azumi gasped, “Oh, oh! Is that what you want your name to be… Maki? Is that right?”

Maki hunched her shoulders, “If it’s not a trouble.”

“Of course it’s not!” Azumi said, “Why would it be? Oh, oh, and hey! We match!”

Maki smiled weakly, “Yeah. I guess we do.”

-

Her hair grows so long that the assassin cult constantly threatens to cut it. Maki trains twice as hard and takes down double the adversaries, if only to keep her dysphoria at bay.

-

The newest shelter smelled like rotting cabbage. Maki shuddered as she stepped inside, tugging Azumi along with her.

“Maki…” she whined, “I don’t wanna stay here. It’s yucky and everyone here looks really mean. Let’s go sleep under the bridge again.”

Maki said, “We haven’t eaten in two days. We can at least get some soup. Come on, Azumi. You’re acting like a child.”

“I am a child!” she complained, “I’m a tiny, baby child, and you’re being  _ sooooo _ mean to me!”

Maki rolled her eyes and tightened her grip on Azumi’s wrist. The smaller girl pulled back, until the resulting struggle was so much that they collapsed on the ratty carpet.

Azumi giggled and jumped up first, “I win! Bye-bye, Maki!”

Maki rolled over, spitting dirt out of her mouth, to see that Azumi had sprinted out of the shelter, and had launched across the street without even looking both ways.

“Little brat,” she grumbled, getting to her feet. Maki dashed out of the homeless shelter, peering across the street for any signs of Azumi. The white haired girl seemed to have vanished, and Maki curled her fists up.

_ Where would she have gone… the bridge. _

Maki darted across the street, ignoring the car horns that sounded as she moved. It wasn’t far from where they spent the last few nights, now, but there was no way to be certain that Azumi had actually gone back.

As she approached the dirt path that led to the bridge, Maki spotted a pair of footprints in the mud. Her heartbeat sped up and she picked up the pace.

Maki pushed through the brambles, the thorns cutting her skin, until she reached the soft sandy ground where she’d been sleeping. Sitting right by the edge of the river was Azumi.

“Oh thank goodness,” Maki exhaled, running up to her and kneeling down, “Are you okay?”

Azumi blinked, “H-Huh? What are you doing back here? I thought you were gonna stay at the shelter.”

Maki shook her head, “And leave you on your own? Don’t be ridiculous. I’d rather spend a hundred cold nights with you than one in a warm shelter.”

Azumi giggled, “Stupid Maki, shelters aren’t warm. Shelters are drafty and filled with yucky bugs that take big bites out of your skin!”

“Stupid Maki,” she echoed, leaning her head on Azumi’s shoulder. Quietly, she murmured, “I’m glad that I didn’t lose you.”

Azumi went quiet for a long moment. When she did speak, her voice was dry and shaky, “You’ll never lose me. I’m with you until the bitter end.”

Maki squeezed her friend’s hand tight.

-

Momota tells her that women shouldn’t handle weapons, and the only reason that she doesn’t stab him right through the hand is because at least he sees her as a girl. It’s only something but it’s also everything.

-

The stars shone down on them like little bright stitches in a blanket of ink. The night air bit at their skin, but if they lay close enough together, their shared body heat could keep them warm enough.

Maki pointed up, “Look… those stars look like a horse.”

“Neigh…” Azumi murmured, curled up close to Maki’s side, “I wanna meet a horse some day. Kiss it on the nose and scratch its ears.”

Maki said, “We will. One day, I’ll take you to a farm, and you can pet every horse there.”

“For my birthday!” Azumi said, “You have to do it for my birthday. That’s the rule now. If you don’t do it, you won’t be invited to my party.”

Maki chuckled, “Okay. I’ll make sure that I get you a nice cake too.”

Azumi groaned, “I wish I remembered what cake tasted like.”

“Probably sweet,” Maki guessed, “But I think you like sweet things, right?”

“I do,” she admitted.

Maki said, “Then I’ll get you the sweetest cake imaginable. I’ll even make sure the people who make it put your name on it in icing.”

“Er,” Azumi mumbled, “Speaking of my name, actually…”

Maki blinked and turned her head, “What’s the problem?”

A gulp, “Can you not call me it anymore? Because… um. I think I’m like you. But the other way around. That… That I’m a boy?”

Maki’s eyes widened, and she threw her arms around him, hugging him close to her chest, “You’re so brave. Thank you for trusting me.”

“Of course. You trusted me,” he said, “So why wouldn’t I put the same amount of belief in you?”

Maki squeezed him tighter, “I love you so much. Do… Do you have a new name that you want me to call you? Or not yet?”

He said, “I haven’t worked it out. I… I want it to be really good. Do you mind waiting?”

“Not at all,” Maki replied, “Just let me know when you know. I’ll just… have to call you Big Stinky, in case I lose you in a crowd.”

He giggled, but Maki could feel his tears slick against her skin.

-

Icy rain poured down on his head. He squinted in the near pitch darkness, trying to find some kind of place to hide, at least until the storm stopped.

Ahead of him was a small alleyway. He quickly stepped inside, taking small shelter from the liquid bullets. He edged his way along the brick walls, water running down his bare arms, until he reached a dark blue dumpster. If he shifted it just right, he could hide behind it for a night.

He carefully pushed on the slick metal, when a sniffing noise caught his attention. He looked over his shoulder, then tensed at the sight of a small body pressed up against a silver trashcan.

The rain beat down on him the second that he left the safety of the wall, but he didn’t care. He kneeled down next to the small person, and shook their shoulder.

“Hey… are you okay?”

A stupid question to ask, but the only one that came to his head.

The person, a small girl, raised her head to reveal a weak pair of red eyes, “W-Who are you? Are… are you… God?”

“No,” he answered, brushing hair out of his eyes, “If I could, I’d sprout wings and take us to heaven, but that’s not happening anytime soon.”

“Please don’t hurt me,” came her whimper.

“I won’t,” he promised, “My name is Shinji, and… I’ll help you out the best I can.”

She smiled, but it didn’t meet her eyes, “Azumi. Thank you.”

-

With a loaf of stale bread under each arm, Maki marched towards the bridge. They’d been surviving on whatever fish they could pluck from the river using a sharp stick, but today, she’d managed to scavenge the grains from a nearby bakery.

As she drew closer to their safe spot, voices invaded her ears. Maki furrowed her brow and quickened her step. There shouldn’t have been anyone besides him there.

Maki broke into the clearing, ignoring the branch that got caught in her hair, and searched the area frantically. He was standing under the bridge, staring up at a man who had over a foot on him.

The bread fell to the ground as Maki charged at the man, slamming into his side with enough force to get him to stumble.

“Watch it, little boy!” the man shouted, shoving her to the ground.

“Run, Maki!” he yelled, glancing over his shoulder.

The man hissed, “Not likely, you rat. I want my fucking food back!”

“I… I already ate it! You can’t have it!” he screamed, “Maki,  _ RUN!” _

The man grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall of the bridge, “You little fucker!”

He was already a pale child, but he was going to go completely white if he was stuck in the chokehold much longer. Digging a rock out of the dirt, Maki lunged at the man.

She hit his arm first, letting her friend free, then slammed the rock into his shoulder to prevent him from grabbing again. 

The man fell to the ground in the heap. Maki sat on top of him, smashing the rock against his head. His temple began to bleed, but she kept bringing the rock down on him, over and over again. The man had long since gone still when the shouts got to her.

“Maki, Maki please! Can you hear me?”

Her arms fell to her sides, her entire body trembling. Below her, the man’s corpse was growing cold.

“It's okay, it's okay, I've got you,” he murmured, easing the bloody rock out of her hand. 

Maki stared at him, her gaze lingering on the purple bruises that lined his neck. With quaking, stained hands, she pulled him into a hug, gripping his shoulders tight, and sobbed.

“I'm so sorry…” she whispered under her breath, “I was just so scared of losing you.”

He replied, “Thank you. We're gonna be okay, I promise. C’mon, Maki.”

He helped Maki to her feet, leading her away from the body. They sat down several feet away, and he reached into his pocket.

“W-What do you have there?” Maki asked, still quivering.

He unfolded a piece of wax paper, exposing a now squished slice of cake, “I didn't actually eat it. I… I saw the cake and I couldn't resist. I wanted to share it with you.”

Maki swallowed, her throat dry, “Y-You…”

“I'm sorry, Maki,” he mumbled, “I would've given it back, but…”

Maki reached out and placed her hand on his, “We can eat it with the bread I found.”

“You brought bread?”

Maki looked over her shoulder. The loaves still lay discarded on the ground, leaves and debris on top. She mumbled, “U-Uh…”

“It's probably still good,” he said.

Maki shivered.

-

For the next three weeks, if anyone so much as brushed against them, Maki would hug him to her chest until she was certain the danger had passed.

-

_ “I won't let this stand! We're not going to die here… I swear to you all that we’ll stop the mastermind!” _

Maki looked up from the sidewalk, the yen note slipping from her fingers as she tried to find the source of the voice.

“Careful! Stupid Maki, this could get us something nice, and you nearly let someone else pick it up!” he pouted, stealing the note from her hands.

Maki rolled her eyes, “I wasn't about to lose it. Did you hear that shouting just now?”

He shrugged, “I think it came from across the street? Whatever, it didn't make any sense.”

Maki glanced around, her gaze settling on a group of people who were crowded around a television store.

“Let's check it out,” she said, reaching for his hand. He puffed out his cheeks, but didn't protest as she guided him across the street.

With minimal effort, they were able to get close to the screens to see what was happening. It looked to be a reality show, about bears and bullets and blood. At the bottom of the screen was a box that read: ‘ _ Winners will receive a grand prize of eighty million yen.’ _

Maki locked eyes with him. His eyes almost sparkled, carrying an excitement that she hadn't seen from him in years.

-

At the front desk, a blue haired woman had eagerly given the two of them applications. According to her, if they quickly filled them out and brought them back, they would be able to audition sometime that afternoon.

Most of the information wasn't hard to put down - though she hesitated when naming ‘ _ Shiretoko National Park’ _ as her address - but she continued to return to the section at the top of the page.

The matter of her surname was a problem. She hadn't put any thought into coming up with a new one for herself, and was reluctant to fall back on her old one. Eventually, with a shaky pen, she marked down the kanji for ‘spring’ and ‘river.’

“Ooh, let me see!” he leaned over to peer at her application, “‘Harukawa?’ That’s kinda boring.”

Maki rolled her eyes, “I didn't want to waste my time trying to think of something better.”

He shrugged, “Whatever. Hey, I can call you Harumaki now! Spring roll!”

“Why would you give me a nickname that's longer than my actual name?” 

He stuck out his tongue.

Maki glanced over at his own application, “I take it that you came up with your own name, then?”

“Yeah… What do you think?”

The kanji was small and messy. ‘Small.’ ‘Luck.’ ‘King.’ ‘Horse.’ Maki chuckled at the last one.

“Kokichi,” she said, testing out the name, “I really like it. It suits you.”

Kokichi lit up, “Thank you! I'm really glad.”

Maki ruffled his hair, “Of course. Come on, let's go hand these in.”

-

“I'm cold…” he whispered, rain splattering down on their heads.

He was half asleep, curled up in a ball while leaning against the dumpster. The alley had no shelter for them.

Maki stared at him for a moment, then unzipped her rain jacket and took it off, wrapping it around his shoulders.

He mumbled, “M-Maki…”

Maki said, “It's fine. Boys- I mean, girls have to be strong for their friends.”

“You're always strong,” he said softly, “You're the strongest girl I've ever met.”

Maki squeezed his hand, repressing a shiver as an icy raindrop slid down the back of her shirt.

-

The blue haired girl from the main room led them into a hallway filled with doors.

“These are the dressing rooms. I advise you to clean yourselves up as best you can for the auditions, since we video tape them,” she said, “I'll come get you personally when it's your time!”

Maki dipped her head, “Thank you very much.”

The girl grinned and winked at her before speeding down the hall to a large door.

Kokichi giggled, “Ooh! Does Harumaki have a date to go on after this?”

Maki rolled her eyes, “Don't be ridiculous. Look, we need to prepare for our auditions.”

“Yeah…” Kokichi said, looking at his feet, “You’re right. I’m sorry, I’m just really nervous about it. What’re we gonna do after?”

Maki placed a hand on his shoulder, “Our best. That’s all we can do. No matter what happens, I’ll be here. So don’t get too worked up. I’m so glad I met you, Kokichi.”

Kokichi grabbed her and hugged her close, sobbing into her shirt. Maki rested her chin on his head, silent tears of her own slipping out of her eyes.

“We’re going to be just fine,” she whispered, “I still have to take you to see those horses, right?”

Kokichi sniffled, “Y-Yeah… You promised me, so you can’t take it back, Stupid Maki.”

“I have no intention of doing so,” Maki replied.

-

“Y-Y’know… th-this is an interesting t-turn of events…” Ouma speaks barely breathing, “B-But, would you really… k-kill me in front of everyone?”

From behind, Momota shouts, “H-Hey, Harukawa! What the hell is going on?”

Ouma gains an ounce of confidence, “Y-Yeah… you can probably… snap my neck like a twig right now… But that’s… not your style… Y-You would rather kill... from the shadows… Right, Super High School Level Assassin-chan?”

Maki tightens her grip around his neck.

**Author's Note:**

> Azumi - 天使 - angel


End file.
